An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Articles
News | May 10, 2022

Vermont Guard to support training exercise Swift Response 22

By Maj. J. Scott Detweiler Vermont National Guard Public Affairs

More than 120 Vermont Army National Guard Soldiers will participate in training exercise Swift Response 22 in North Macedonia from May 11 to 17.

Exercise Swift Response is an annual U.S. Army Europe and Africa multinational training exercise that takes place this year in Eastern Europe, the Arctic High North, Baltics, and Balkans from May 2-24.

“Now that North Macedonia is a part of NATO it opens the door for them to participate in more training exercises with the U.S. and its NATO partners,” said Col. Justin Davis, Vermont National Guard director of plans and operations. "As our state partner, it only increases our relationship building between the Vermont National Guard and North Macedonia.”

Vermont Soldiers participating will come primarily from Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry (Mountain), 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain). Swift Response 22 will fulfill the two-weeks of annual training requirements for these Citizen-Soldiers.

“For most of our Soldiers it will be the first time they have trained in Europe,” said Capt. Aaron Harkness, assistant plans officer for the battalion. “The environment, terrain, and training mission are different from what we have been focusing on over the last two years. It will be great for us to get back to training in a mountainous environment where we can utilize the terrain to our advantage.”

Most of 3-172 IN (MTN) just returned from a 10-month deployment in support of U.S. Central Command in December 2021, where most operations occurred in desert terrain.

As part of the National Guard State Partnership Program, the Vermont National Guard has partnered with North Macedonia since 1993 and conducts about 20 military-military engagements together each year, including a co-deployment to Afghanistan in 2010. Under the State Partnership Program, Vermont has also established relationships with Senegal in 2008 and the Republic of Austria, just announced in October 2021.

The official logo of the Vermont National Guard.

TAG's State of the Guard - April 2025

The above YouTube video link may not work on all government computers. Read the transcript of MG Gregory Knight's full State of the Guard here.

National Guard News
Colorado Army National Guard crew chiefs U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Wade Shore (left) and Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Hubbard (right), High-Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site, perform maintenance on their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, in Gypsum, Colorado, July 23, 2025. Both Soldiers participated in a dangerous nighttime rescue that set the record for the highest hoist ever conducted in Colorado, saving two hikers who had become caught in a storm and were struck by lightning. The crew flew at approximately 14,200 feet above sea level, beating the previous record of around 13,700 feet by a military aircraft in Colorado.
Colorado National Guard Aircrew Breaks Record for Hoist Rescue
By Staff Sgt. Josiah Pugh, | July 25, 2025
GYPSUM, Colo. – Members of a Colorado Army National Guard Black Hawk aircrew tested their skill and pushed their helicopter’s performance to its limits during a dangerous nighttime rescue that set the record for the highest...

An Ohio National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter repairer assigned to Company B, 3rd Battalion, 238th Aviation Regiment, does in-flight inspections during a flight to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, July 14, 2025. The operation highlighted collaboration between Army and Air National Guard units, strengthening inter-branch coordination that is essential for mission success in both domestic and deployed settings.
178th Wing Scores in Top 5% of Total Force in Combat Readiness Inspection
By Shane Hughes, | July 24, 2025
SPRINGFIELD-BECKLEY AIR GUARD STATION, Ohio - The Ohio Air National Guard’s 178th Wing scored in the top 5% of all Air Force wings in a Combat Readiness Inspection completed July 17 at the Springfield-Beckley Air National...

U.S. Soldiers assigned to the Kentucky Army National Guard participate in a radio communications knowledge exchange with Djiboutian soldiers at the Djiboutian signal corps compound in Djibouti City, Djibouti, July 14, 2025. The State Partnership Program conducts military-to-military engagements in support of U.S. defense and security goals, facilitating cooperation across all levels of international civil-military affairs, and encouraging relationship building at the state level.
Kentucky Guard, Djibouti Military Partner on Cyber, Radio Exchange
By Staff Sgt. Marcus Hardy-Bannerman, | July 24, 2025
DJIBOUTI CITY, Djibouti - In the East Africa region where a single breached network can ripple across borders, Djiboutian soldiers and the Kentucky Army National Guard as well as other U.S. service members spent four focused...